Pilot Robert Hamilton said he’s been a victim five times, most recently causing temporary blindness and painful retinal burning for hours.

“To have your vision taken away causes a tremendous amount of distraction and chaos in the flight deck,” Hamilton said.

Data obtained exclusively by CBS 2 and TV 10/55 show the locations where recent lasing incidents originated. Three were beamed from Staten Island. One came from the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Another was recorded in the Bronx, just nort of LaGuardia Airport. And three orginated from the Port Washington area of Long Island.

With three major airports in the region, the danger only deepens. A radar image from FlightAware.com shows how congested airspace is — a reality that requires a pilot’s complete focus.

A screen capture from FlightAware.com shows flight traffic in the Tri-State area.

Lasing is such a big problem that the FBI has created a task force to investigate incidents. Lawmakers recently made the crime a federal felony.

The FBI has rolled out an online and on-air anti-lasing campaign and is now offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrests.

If you have any information about a lasing case, you may make an anonymous tip at 212-384-1000.